Phantom
by zabeth0322
Summary: Add one Knight and what could change? What could stay the same? This is only the beginning
1. Chapter 1

"Train the boy, you must not."

"I understand, Master Yoda." Qui-Gon bowed his head in acknowledgement. Obi-Wan shifted behind him, sensing that the small Master still had more to say.

"Accompany you to Naboo, another Jedi shall. This one, in need of such diplomatic experiences, she is. Also encountered a shadowed figure, she has."

"She, Master?" Obi-Wan questioned softly. Yoda's eyes crinkled before he spoke.

"Newly appointed Knight, Yareah Avalie is." (Yah-ray-ah Ah-vahl-ee-ay)

Boarding the Nubian ship, Qui-Gon pulled his apprentice aside.

"What do you know of this Avalie girl? I haven't heard of her before."

"Well, I believe she was chosen to be a Padawan far before myself. Her skills with both blades and languages made her a striking initiate despite an average midi-chlorian count. I cannot say I saw much of her around the Temple."

"Blades, you say? Not blade?" he asked.

"Yes, if I remember correctly, she was ambidextrous and created a second lightsaber."

"I see…"

"I do hope I don't sound rude, but I believe it would be more prudent if you asked _me_ about my strengths and weaknesses. I'm sure I could give you a full report." A young woman had somehow managed to situate herself next to the two Jedi without detection. She cocked her head to the side, her short, layered dark brown hair flopping into her gray eyes. Obi-Wan guessed she was somewhere close to his age of twenty-four. A light smile played on her lips as she looked up at the duo before bowing.

"I am Yareah Avalie, Jedi Knight and temporary partner." As she stood, Obi-Wan noticed that her Jedi robes were the usual brown tints, but with a deep red undershirt with white pants, black boots and a black belt. He also noticed that he had been right; two sabers hung from her belt, slightly smaller than regular sabers.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Knight Avalie," Qui-Gon bowed to her in return. Obi-Wan followed suit as her smile waned into an expression of cheerful determination.

"Please, call me Yareah."


	2. Chapter 2

The flight back to Naboo was tense, but uneventful. Qui-Gon believed the Council was wrong and that Anakin should be trained in the Jedi Arts. Obi-Wan was at a loss for who to support. His master had an awful tendency to be right, though driven by his free spirit. The Council was bound by the code. He found no middle ground or safe territory. Yareah seemed to have been briefed on this matter, but had not spoken a word about it.

Currently, she was watching the boy learn about the ship's controls. Obi-Wan saw his master pass by the scene and felt his agitation being released into the Force. He was almost thankful when the three Jedi were summoned by the Queen for a meeting.

As expected, Qui-Gon stood forward of Obi-Wan and Yareah. Clearly she was deferring her status as a knight to Qui-Gon, which, once Obi-Wan thought for a moment, made sense. She was not familiar with the Queen yet and was essentially a stranger to the conflict, arriving only because of the Council's inherent sense that he and his master would somehow need help. Returning his attention to the matter at hand, Obi-Wan heard his master tell the Queen that the three of them could not fight a war for the Naboo.

When Amidala called forth Jar Jar Binks, Obi-Wan was no longer sure he wanted to hear the conversation being had.

Nestled into the swamps of Naboo, Obi-Wan waited with the rest of the Nubian rebellion's members for Jar Jar to resurface. The only sounds around him were of the jungle; all the pilots, handmaidens, and guards were quiet. Qui-Gon stood with his hand on Anakin's head as though stopping the boy from fidgeting. Yareah had stopped some distance away from the group and was sitting on a fallen tree in a half-meditative state.

They had not spoken much since the Queen's briefing. No one had. They knew the blockade of Naboo was currently successful since the only ship in orbit was a control station. Qui-Gon had pointed out early that the Trade Federation controlled the port and no longer needed a massive fleet of ships to orbit the planet.

Obi-Wan watched as Padme, the handmaiden who had accompanied his master on Tatooine, approached the young boy. Anakin had moved from Qui-Gon's reach to where the R2-D2 was lowly whistling. They conversed and Obi-Wan stopped paying attention to regard his master.

They had not been on speaking terms since they had last discussed the boy and his future. He reflected on the anger he felt because of the boy and the passion Anakin inspired in Qui-Gon. Faintly, he recognized that his master's negligence of him and support of the boy was not done to slight him. He understood. He truly believed he did. He had always placed his trust in Qui-Gon before, so he should not stop now.

"I've been thinking," Qui-Gon spoke suddenly, keeping his voice low. "We are treading on dangerous ground. If the Queen intends to fight a war, we cannot become involved."

Yareah chose that moment to reenter their ranks, folding her hands together.

"I agree. Even her efforts to persuade the Gungans to join with the Naboo to fight the Federation would cause trouble. The Jedi have no authority to take sides," she said, quietly, watching the rest of the group.

"But we do have to protect the Queen as we were mandated," Obi-Wan pointed out. He heard Yareah exhale and Qui-Gon's eyes shifted to his.

"It is a fine line we walk, then."

"Master," Obi-Wan said, facing him now. "I behaved badly on Coruscant, and I am embarrassed. I meant no disrespect and I do not wish to be difficult in the matter of the boy."

"Nor have you been," the older Jedi replied, smiling. "Honesty is never wrong. I told the Council you were ready, and so you are. You will be a great Jedi, my young Padawan. You will make me proud."

They gripped hands impulsively, and as quickly as the breach between them had formed, it was closed.

Yareah looked at their joined hands, appearing uncomfortable. This should have been a private moment. Obi-Wan sensed her distress just as Jar Jar's dark shape ripped the surface of the lake.

As Qui-Gon and the others moved towards the distressed Gungan, Obi-Wan touched Yareah's shoulder lightly, bending slightly to look her in the eyes. She saw his blue-green orbs full of sincerity and openness and he gave a small smile. It was alright that she had seen, but why did it bother her? She returned the smile and motioned toward the group.

"Yareah…" he said.

"Another time." She shook her head and started in the direction of the group.

As soon as they rejoined them, however, Jar Jar was already leading the way through the foliage, plunging deeper into the forest. The scenery was breathtaking; tall grasses that reached Obi-Wan's and Yareah's waists seemed miniscule in comparison to the massive trees. They followed a water-screened pathway through a system of knolls and Obi-Wan may have laughed that Anakin's blonde head could barely be seen above the grasses, but the sound of STAPs hummed and whined in the distance, reminding them that they were all fugitives at the moment.

Finally emerging from the marshy grass and tangled roots, Jar Jar stopped and nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

The Gungans did not appear terribly receptive to Jar Jar bringing a party of Nubians and Jedi into their midst. As the billed warriors herded the humans together, they formed a perimeter, daring the guards with their electropoles and energy spears.

Pressed onward, the canopy of the forest seemed to engulf them and the clear blue sky was stolen from view. Statues and ruins began to appear, rising from the ground higher the more they walked into the foliage.

Then, they arrived. A Gungan refugee camp. The captain led the group past huddles of biped amphibians to where Boss Nass appeared. He plodded from the shadows, standing high above them. Amidala approached, but the Boss addressed Jar Jar first, scathingly. His fleshy head swiveled and turned, spittle spewing from his mouth as he yelled at the outcast until the Queen stepped forward, announcing herself.

The Boss was having none of it, cutting her off and blaming the destruction of their homes on her. The perimeter guard closed in and Obi-Wan and Yareah noticed the nervousness of the Naboo fighters. Captain Panaka's hand wavered close to his blaster. Obi-Wan noticed Yareah look pointedly at a handmaiden as he and his master moved to her side to flank the Queen.

"We wish to form an alliance with you," Amidala tried again.

"We no for nutten wit da Naboo!" Boss Nass roared angrily. Amidala's breath caught in her throat.

Suddenly Padme removed herself from the group, stepping in front of the Queen. "You did well, Sabe. But I will have to do this myself," she said quietly, and turned to face the confused Boss Nass.

R2 beeped softly in recognition and Yareah released a breath. The droid and the knight had figured it out first.

"I am Queen Amidala," Padme announced, clearly, strongly. She explained their purposes of a decoy and Obi-Wan shifted to see Padme glance momentarily at Anakin before looked at them all. "Gentlemen, I apologize for misleading you."

She snapped around to the head of the Gungans, getting directly to the point. "Our people have always lived in peace, despite our disagreements, Your Honor. Now the Trade Federation has destroyed our homes and ways of life. The Gungans are in hiding and the Naboo are imprisoned. If we do not act swiftly, all that we hold dear will be lost and gone forever."

She stretched out her hands before abruptly dropping to her knees. "I beg you to help us, Your Honor. Our fate is in your hands. Please help us."

One by one, her handmaidens knelt before the Gungans. Captain Panaka motioned for the guards to do the same. Anakin and the Jedi slowly knelt last.

Worried that talking would ruin the Queen's objective; Obi-Wan chanced a glance at his master, then at Yareah. Qui-Gon looked impassive, but he could feel a small sense of shock lying underneath the exterior. Yareah, however, looked completely calm, as though she had known from the beginning. That would make this awkward. If he and his master had not been able to tell the difference between the Queen and her decoy, it would prove that they had not done a very good job of paying attention to detail. They had not fulfilled their mandate.

Obi-Wan was pulled back to the matter at hand by a deep rumbling laughter that reverberated throughout the ruins. The head Gungan came forward, laughing, and took Amidala's hand.


	4. Chapter 4

While the true Queen was meeting with Boss Nass, Obi-Wan turned to ask Yareah about the decoy tactic only to see his master already looking at her for explanation, arms folded.

"I do my research, Master Jinn. It was mentioned in passing in a very brief paragraph on Naboo security detail. I noticed once I came aboard her ship that Her Highness often made vague statements and one of the handmaidens would respond, like a code. It was odd to me so I observed the handmaidens afterwards. Three handmaidens accompany the Queen and yet there are four faces. Padme, Sabe, Eirtae, and Rabe. It was not terribly difficult to see that Padme was the most headstrong and authoritative in addition to being the one that was missing on Coruscant."

"This information should have been shared with us then," Qui-Gon said, unfolding his arms.

"I thought you already knew which is why I didn't say anything."

"I had a suspicion on Tatooine, but that was all," he admitted. Yareah clasped her hands and bowed her head in an apologetic form.

"I am sorry then."

"Perhaps a deeper exchange of information is required, Master?" Obi-Wan said. Qui-Gon nodded and the three Jedi moved to sit on an exposed stone face.

"I suppose the first order of business would be to discuss my background in a little more detail. I was apprenticed to Master Rein Kolar when I was 10 standard. He was often assigned missions of stealth and we didn't spend much time on Coruscant or in the Temple. He admired my ability to easily pick up languages, knowing it would be useful on our missions."

"That would explain why you don't have an Inner world accent and why I don't remember you from training," Obi-Wan mused aloud and Yareah nodded.

"I believe I remember Master Kolar. He and I sparred a couple times and I remember his striking lightsaber form… and his white hair," Qui-Gon chuckled, leaning back a little. "How is he doing?"

Yareah smiled softly and turned her eyes to the sky. "He is better than ever." She turned back to them and let out a short laugh. "His white hair is always the thing people remember him for, rather that the sharp of his wit and his blade."

"I remember the blade well enough, thank you, and that the sharpness of his tongue was always smoothed by the sincerity of his smile. Much like yours, Yareah."

"Well, I would hope that skill with a blade is not the only thing I received from my tutelage."

Obi-Wan sensed her trying to press the conversation away from its present course and spoke, "What form do you prefer?"

Yareah's eyes lit up and he felt a small wave of gratitude. "My master taught me his favored form of Soresu, believing that on missions such that we went on, a defensive form worked best. I believe the same, though I like to think of it as a one-handed job."

"One-handed?" Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon leaned forward a little.

"As you already know, I use two sabers: one for Soresu, and the other for a type of combination of Soresu and a more aggressive form. I cannot split the two indefinitely and I sometimes switch back and forth and to what hand is using what." At the slight confusion on their faces, she continued. "I suppose it would be easier to show you than trying to explain. I always seem to have that problem…"

At that moment, the Queen and the Gungan Boss arrived back at the camp, calling their head guards in for a meeting.

"I suppose we should go meet with them. Perhaps you could spar with Obi-Wan later, given we have time before the Queen makes her next move." Qui-Gon smiled and stood, before leaving to attend the Queen.

Obi-Wan got up next dusting off his robe. He looked down and extended a hand to Yareah.

"I would be honored to spar with you and I'm curious as to whether or not I can hold up against two sabers at once."

She accepted his hand with a smile and he pulled her up. Leveling her eyes with his, she sobered and said, "Don't be too curious. I've heard on my travels that curiosity kills."


	5. Chapter 5

As it turned out the meeting was short, the Queen only asking for another meeting and sending Panaka out to scout the city of Theed. Gungans switched off shifts of sentry duty and Qui-Gon joined the Queen and Boss Nass for a discussion about the upcoming battle. He ushered Obi-Wan and Yareah off with Anakin, telling them that they should take the time to spar and familiarize with each other's abilities and show Anakin what a lightsaber duel was like.

Anakin looked excited even though Obi-Wan knew he had briefly seen the battle between Qui-Gon and the dark horned creature on Tatooine. Removing their outer robes and telling Anakin to sit a distance away, they squared off in a small clearing sheeted in moss and exposed rock face.

As Anakin settled himself on the highest rock on the periphery of the clearing, he turned in time to see Obi-Wan and Yareah bow politely to one another before a sort of staring contest began. Neither drew a weapon. Anakin felt pressure mounting though whether it was just a feeling or from the Force, he couldn't tell, but it tingled. Then, it broke and there was movement.

Obi-Wan struck first, igniting his cyan blade and feinting left before striking at Yareah's right shoulder. Like brushing aside an insect, she twirled a green blade to life, his attack harmlessly falling away from her. It continued this way for a few minutes, he attacked and she used the force of his motion to redirect and deflect, but she was losing ground.

To Obi-Wan, her motions reminded him of a much more elegant version of the primitive wind turbines on some of the worlds of the Outer Rim. He gauged her twirls and timing before jabbing straight into her form.

She drew in a breath and she twisted her body away, another green saber coming to life with a snap-hiss pushing away the offending blue plasma as her first blade crossed over to strike. Obi-Wan barely managed to pull his blade back to parry before he was suddenly thrust back by her offensive.

Spinning lightly on a foot, she brought her two blades across his body in quick succession, each hit pressuring him to take a step backward. He understood why her hair was short still, at least. She would have cut it off with her saber if she had let it grow. Strike after strike, he defended, huffing at the fact that his assault was cut short.

He calmed his mind as best he could with her constant flurry of green plasma shooting at him and searched for a weak point. How could he have missed that? In the slight second before her next turn he slipped to the ground, safely beneath her blades. He made to cut her across the ankles and, as predicted, she jumped to avoid. As she twisted and flipped over him, he narrowly missed being caught by her blades in the chest.

Her visage was clear and focused, but he smirked. He caught her two blades crossed and pressed, quickly disengaging. She attempted to counter and riposte, but she no longer held a saber in her hand. And neither did he. The momentum brought her empty hand to hit firmly, but harmlessly, against his sternum.

Looking around they spotted their three sabers lying, no longer ignited, to the sides of the clearing. They turned and saw Anakin sitting very still; looking like any moment he would fall forward from his perch and tumble over in amazement. When he actually did pitch forward a little and caught himself, Yareah laughed and Obi-Wan cracked a grin.

Turning to each other, they bowed before Yareah started to laugh again and Obi-Wan had to chuckle a little. A couple claps sounded from the other end of the clearing and the duo turned to see Qui-Gon.

"Quite impressive, Yareah. Master Kolar must have been an excellent teacher," he said. The two Jedi and Anakin walked over to Qui-Gon.

"He was," she said, patting the now hyper Anakin on the shoulder. He took off to go join the Gungans standing on duty. Obi-Wan hung his robe over his arm and handed Yareah's to her. Folding it over into a bundle, she began to walk in step with the other two Jedi towards the Queen.

Once they reached the speeder that Amidala had spread her plans out on, she started to explain her plans to the generals and security officers gathered around her. Memorizing the palace schematics he was shown, Obi-Wan folded his hands together in contemplation. There was a lot riding on this campaign.

Anakin came running in to announce Panaka's return and Amidala suggested that they all get some rest as the Gungans gathered their forces and she took inventory of the guards available for her. Their attack would begin at dawn and the group heading into Theed would have to leave even before that.


	6. Chapter 6

Obi-Wan was trying to find somewhere to sleep until their departure for Theed. He came upon Yareah, who was talking quietly to Anakin, a good amount of tiny stone tiles laid out in front of them on the ground. Anakin said something and Yareah shook her head and waved him off. He ran over to Artoo and Obi-Wan took his vacated spot on the moss and roots.

"Boy's got no patience," she said, motioning to Anakin but not looking up from her tiles. Obi-Wan could see some of the tiles had pictures and all were carefully arranged.

"Well, we knew that," he said, crossing his arms and inspecting the little game she was playing, picking up matching pieces and grouping them in a row on the side, using the Force.

"This is a game my master used to play with me when I was young to help me quiet my mind and focus," she said as she matched another two pairs. Obi-Wan was starting to understand the game; you pulled only tiles that didn't touch on one of the long sides and were on top of the pile.

"Were you in such desperate need of patience? You seem collected," he countered. She let out a bark of laughter, shaking her head.

"I was quite the handful when I was younger, always on the move. I was taught and given this to play every night to focus myself on a solitary, calming thing. I kind of needed to practice focus early on, what with my lightsaber tactics. I certainly almost cut off my own head a good number of times when I lost focus."

"Clearly, you succeeded, thanks to this game," he smiled. She nodded, looking for another move.

"It was a test in my patience, to finish a game which can take quite a while. It was also a test of control as sometimes, you lose." She smiled up at him and levitated another pair away from the pile. "Anakin would do good to learn this. It's a sneaky way of getting his attention and calming him down. He's a little too excited for that right now though. He doesn't have the motivation to try since he's not yet an initiate."

"I'm sure he'll listen eventually. He's so eager to try."

"Maybe a little too much now and then. I'm not sure if the seriousness has caught him yet."

Obi-Wan leaned back into the roots of the tree Yareah was leaning on as she moved the last pieces into the row.

"Perhaps. Though, until he is an official initiate, I don't see the problem."

"You're just like your master." When he looked at her, there was a gloss in her eyes as she rearranged the patterned pile. "Care for a game?"

He nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

Morning rose swiftly and Obi-Wan found it incomprehensibly simple to bypass the security droids in Theed. At that point, accompanying the Queen seemed perfunctory.

Entering the hangar, he quickly dispatched the droids guarding the Nubian pilots. Through the hustle to get to the yellow fighters, he saw Yareah standing stock still. No color in her face, expression completely blank. He started towards her, wondering what was amiss, as Qui-Gon sent Anakin to a cockpit. When he heard the rolling clicks of the droidekas on the hard floor, he watched for a moment as her whole body seemed to turn back on and she flung the blaster bolts right back. He joined her, only to notice the shields in much better order than the last time he faced against the droids. Yareah Force-pushed one into the other two and into the line of Anakin's firing path.

An ominous hiss sounded behind them. Turning to look over their shoulders, the duo saw Qui-Gon ushering the Queen and her group away from the now open doors where a dark figure stood.

"We'll handle this. Yareah, if you don't mind escorting the Queen…" he said. Yareah already had her outer robe off and stood strongly, facing the creature of darkness.

"I'm afraid not. I've fought this thing before and I intend to settle a minor dispute we seem to have." Her jaw was set and her eyes clear. Obi-Wan felt coldness envelop her, but no anger. She was shutting herself off to them.

"Fine." Qui-Gon seemed a bit ruffled, but moved to remove his cloak. Obi-Wan did the same and the four lit their sabers. Two green, one blue and double red highlighted the floors and walls.

The battle began.


	8. Chapter 8

It was interesting. Only two Jedi could attack at one time against the dark robed Sith, and Yareah only ignited a single saber so as not to inadvertently get in the way of her partners. Flashes of colors blinded Obi-Wan, adrenaline coursing through his veins and powering up his acrobatic Ataru style. The Sith kicked out at him as he moved in to replace Yareah causing him to get knocked off the thin catwalks.

Hitting the ground four levels down, he scrambled up to see Yareah push the Sith off the catwalk and twirl downward with him, landing hard on their feet a level above him. As Qui-Gon jumped down, Obi-Wan jumped up to land next to Yareah and a strong blow from the Sith pushed her towards the edge. He grabbed her arm and, using his momentum, spun her around behind him. They both thrust forward, back-to-back, and the Sith barely broke off the attack. Qui-Gon's reappearance forced the Sith to Force-push Yareah and Obi-Wan back. He somersaulted over Qui-Gon, fending off his attacks and ran into another corridor.

Qui-Gon ran after him, leaving Obi-Wan and Yareah to catch up. A snap-hiss sounded as a laser-fortified wall rose at the end of the corridor. A succession of red luminescent walls were erected, trapping the Sith two cells away from the next room. Qui-Gon was just three away from the Sith, while Yareah had only made it into the first cell. Obi-Wan was trapped on the very outside of the walls. Moments passed and Qui-Gon meditated as the Sith in front of him scratched the walls like a wild animal trying to break free of its cage. Yareah went to a knee and took some cleansing breaths. Obi-Wan just stood, staring down the Sith with his master.

When the doors stared to whine open, all sabers were reignited and Qui-Gon sprung into action, spurring the Sith backwards towards a melting pit. Yareah burst forward, jumping over the Sith to start her attack from behind him. Obi-Wan watched in horror as the first gate closed just inches from his nose and the Sith twirled to kick Yareah hard in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of her and as she fell and twisted, her head made a sickening crack against the cold floor.

Qui-Gon distracted the Sith from her with another assault. It lasted only mere moments because the Sith found an opening which he filled with a swift uppercut and thrust.

"NOOOOOO!" Obi-Wan yelled as Qui-Gon's listless form fell to the ground. He began to seethe as the Sith smirked sickeningly and strolled to where Yareah lay. He kicked away her saber into the pit and dragged her to the front of the room. Making her flop on her knees, he held one end of his saber to her throat. Her eyes were open, but glazed and bleary. Obi-Wan's breath caught. He was going to behead her.

The Sith's eyes grew wider and Obi-Wan saw a twitch of movement at the corner of Yareah's mouth. The gate opened and the Sith moved to pull his blade across. Yareah Force-pushed against the floor, slipping backward, between his legs and before he could turn to stab her, Obi-Wan's blue blade struck him harshly, holding him in place.

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth as Yareah drew her second blade and they began their onslaught. Obi-Wan managed to cut the saber in two, sending one half down into the pit. A slight lull in their movements gave the Sith an opportunity to separate them. He kicked out in an acrobatic turn, hitting both square in the chest. Obi-Wan was sent careening into the pit, losing his saber and only just managing to grab onto a gauge. Yareah skidded backward into the gated hall again, the gates closing safely around her.

The Sith, for the moment, was concerned with only Obi-Wan. He sent shower after shower of sparks down on the Jedi, until Obi-Wan, spotting Qui-Gon's abandoned saber, formulated a plan. Pulling on the Force within and around him, he pushed himself up out of the pit and called the saber to him. Igniting it and spinning deftly in the air, the Sith stared in shock as his immediately cauterized halves fell into the pit.

The gates must have opened at some point during this motion, because Obi-Wan felt Yareah come up and cling to his back, hand firmly wrapped around his wrist. Feeling the pressure on his racing pulse and the fear leaking through her shields, he shut down the saber and turned, leading them away from the pit to Qui-Gon.

Sinking to his knees, Obi-Wan dropped the saber and held his master to him. Yareah silently knelt on the other side of Qui-Gon, her eyes glassy, and features pale. Qui-Gon reached up and touched Obi-Wan's face, breaking down the dams. Obi-Wan could barely hear his master's dying wish over his own sobs.

"Train… the boy… he is the… Chosen One…"

One last caress to his last Padawan's tear streaked face, and the light that was Qui-Gon was extinguished and taken in by the Force.


	9. Chapter 9

"I need to thank the both of you. Without you, it would not have been a victory for our world," the Queen said to Yareah and Obi-Wan. "And, as Padme as well as the Queen, I am deeply saddened by the loss of Master Jinn. I give you my condolences."

They both bowed in recognition, but Obi-Wan could not meet her eyes. He had not looked at anyone directly since Qui-Gon's passing the night previous. The Council was arriving the following day and he needed to muster his composure to recount his master's final moments. He stole a glance at Yareah, who was watching the Queen retreat to the throne room.

He had not left Qui-Gon's body the entire night, but he knew that he had left the explanation of their battle to Yareah. He had the image of her catching Anakin before coming into the room where Qui-Gon's body was being held burned into his memory.

Anakin's wide blue eyes and short arms flailing about as he realized what had happened.

Yareah scooping him up against his strongest protests.

The vase that shattered as a result of his emotional Force use.

Yareah cradling him as he began to cry into her shoulder.

Yareah whispering Force knows what into his ear.

Wishing that he could cry into her shoulder as freely as Anakin.

He was shaken out of his reverie when Yareah touched his shoulder. He found his head pressed against the glass and didn't move to leave his position. She tugged on his brown robe's sleeve and he reluctantly followed. They walked in somber silence until reaching the quarters the Queen had delegated to the Jedi. She took him out onto the small balcony into the slowly fading light and made him sit on the stone bench.

He stared listlessly out into the pretty landscape. He could not find it in him to admire the beauty of the calm lake at sunset. He heard a rustling from Yareah's direction and shifted his attention to her, something more real. She was adjusting her robes, to shift them downward. He suddenly became uncomfortable as he noticed her red turtleneck was missing. She spoke as he began to move away.

"I owe you an explanation." She stopped fiddling with the neck of her robes and moved her hands away. He had the decency not to gasp. There was a pearly white jagged line stretching from the depths of her robes, up her sternum and curling around her collarbone and neck. It was thin and shone in the dim light against her lightly tanned skin. Eyes wide, he kept his eyes on the scar as she sat facing him on the bench.

"I told you I had had a run-in with that Sith before. It was the last mission I was on before I got Knighted and was assigned to your mission. It was the last mission my master went on."

At this, his eyes shifted up to meet hers, but she was not looking at him. Staring out across the lake, he recognized the look in her eyes. He had seen it in the jungle before he had played her tile game. He had seen it on her before he recognized what it was on his own face last night, washing away the tears he was not supposed to shed.

Pieces of the puzzle shifted together just like the tiles of Master Kolar's game. Master Kolar was dead. He had been before Yareah joined them. He had been killed by the same creature of darkness as his own master. Yareah had watched him kill the Sith that slain her master after giving her a reminder. He had taken the life of her master's murderer in cold blood.

Shame washed over him and he felt he would be sick. He pitched forward and heaved, but nothing came. He had not eaten all day.

There were small hands on his back, combing through his hair and a voice whispering nonsense along the breeze. The full weight of the past few days bore down like a hammer and in a brief moment, he remembered. He remembered everything and stopped, stock-still. He turned to her, face screwed up in sadness and nausea.

And she was there, silently crying like she was not a Jedi Knight. Her hand fell to his face and he felt the small calluses on her fingers. She was real and she felt his pain. He reached up to squeeze her hand and, staring directly into her eyes, lightly touched her scar, the constant memory of her master's death.

She let out a small hiccup and he brought her face in his hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs. The words began to flow and he wondered how she was so strong.

"There was word that there were unrecorded Force-users in the Outer Rim and Master Rein and I were dispatched to collect intelligence. We arrived and assumed our covers; he was a traveling weapons merchant and I was his daughter. There were some bounty hunters that were looking for arms and we exchanged information about a rogue hunter that was seen in the area using a lightsaber. The hunters wanted saber technology for themselves and we promised to go trade the rogue for it with our cargo."

She looked up at him, gray eyes churning with emotion so forbidden to their Order.

"We didn't know. We didn't know… It was…"

He could guess what it was, but he knew she needed to say it aloud. He brushed her bangs back from where they were beginning to stick from her tears.

"It was a trap… the hunters had known we were coming. They were in league with Maul. He- he- _knew_. _He_ knewwe were coming_._"

"The Sith lord?"

"No. His master. Maul was finishing his training."

His world shook. There were more Sith. The one they fought was the _apprentice_. His master had fallen to the _apprentice_. He drew a shuddering breath as she continued.

"We were the final test: to kill a Jedi Master. I was not part of the plan, but an added bonus."

She wasn't looking at him anymore. Somewhere through his head was a battle that she was reliving.

"We walked right on in, knowing he was a Force-user in possession of a lightsaber. We didn't believe he could match two Jedi."

Her eyes refocused on his.

"We were wrong."

She removed his hands from her shoulders where they had fallen and held them palm up between them.

"We arrived and walked into what turned out to be the hangar. We saw the hologram of _him_ and Maul turned to face us. He knew what we were and ignited his saber on both ends. We underestimated him.

"He attacked and my master allowed me to protect him while he searched for information we could use. I was getting worn down and I called for him. He did something with the controls at the work station. Maul kicked me in the head and my master caught his blade before… He distracted Maul and I think I heard some engines start. I don't know how long I was down, but it was long enough.

"When I got up, my master and Maul were both injured. I rejoined to let my master rest and that was when he got me. He split one of my sabers and cut up my chest. It cauterized instantly, but it was enough for me to black out.

"I don't know what happened after that except that I woke up in a bacta tank on an unfamiliar ship. My master was lying in a pool of his own blood in front of it. It was smeared on the tank so I can only guess that he had somehow dispatched Maul and set coordinates for the Temple."

Her grip on his hands was light, ghostly. Her words had slowly drifted to emotionless, but he sensed a second coming. As if on cue, she looked up and brokenly whispered.

"I let him die. I killed him. By not being strong enough, he died saving me. He healed me when he was broken. He brought me home. And I never got to say goodbye."

An image flashed in his mind. A man slumped against a metal wall, garbed in torn Jedi robes, a giant stain of red painted deliberately on his chest. If his chest had been rising and falling, he might have been asleep. The cropped white hair changed to long brown for a split second and Obi-Wan choked.

Then all he saw was Yareah. She was just as broken as he was. His bond with his master ripped in the irreversible way that hers was. Though her face was still red and moist from tears, she was no longer crying. On impulse, he pulled her forward, head resting in the exposed crook of her shoulder. He cried into her scarred skin and she clutched at the shoulders of his robe.


	10. Chapter 10

Soft light gently pried Obi-Wan's eyes open and he took a second to inhale deeply. The fragrances of the flowers of Naboo were incredibly soothing, but there was a new smell among them. He did not sense danger, so he burrowed back into the covers, more grateful for their warmth and the promise of quiet sleep than anything else. Last night he had mourned for his master and today was the funeral pyre.

Today was the funeral pyre.

The serenity that had folded around him so carefully during the night ebbed away little by little. He sat up and the soft blankets pooled at his waist. He was still wearing his tunic from the night before.

Looking over to the side, he saw the other bed across the room occupied by Yareah and Anakin. The little boy had not been able to fall asleep until they had returned, but both Jedi were too emotionally drained to do much other than allow him to stay in the room with them.

He got up and padded over to see Yareah curled to the side of the bed, sound asleep and short hair askew. She had not changed either, except to remove the heavier outer tunic in exchange for her red shirt that covered her scar. Anakin was sprawled out as much as his little body and the bed allowed him, sheets tangled around his legs. He had one hand fisted in the back of Yareah's shirt, as if scared she would disappear.

Anakin snorted softly in his sleep and Yareah's breathing pattern changed. Slowly stretching, she opened her eyes to see Obi-Wan. He glanced at the increasing daylight and she nodded. There was much to do.

She reached over and gently poked Anakin, resulting in a half-hearted fight for him to relinquish a pillow and go get ready for the day. Once he scampered off, Yareah turned to gather her things.

"They will probe your mind. They will see what happened to Maul."

"Let them."

"They will see your attachment."

"Didn't they see yours?"

A beat and her gray eyes shifted to the floor.

"I didn't let them."

"Help me." She nodded and reached out to him with the Force.

He saw the painful images fly past his mind's eye as she ruffled through his memories of the battle. She did not touch anything other than his feelings of fear when he was the only one not in the chamber and of anger and distress when Qui-Gon had fallen. He felt her linger on the moment when he panicked over Maul's intention to behead her, and dulled the feeling.

"I'll teach you how to do it after they've gotten what they want for the report. I'll undo it then."

He nodded, feeling strangely lighter, and walked in step with her to the chambers where Masters Yoda and Windu waited.


End file.
